Trump praises Nigeria for banning Twitter

Last week, Nigeria indefinitely banned Twitter, which many observers considered a concerning move, since the social media platform is seen as a vital tool for the country's civil society. But former President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a statement praising the decision.

"Congratulations to ... Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their president," Trump said. Twitter did not, in fact, ban Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. The company instead deleted a tweet which threatened separatists in southeastern Nigeria and suspended Buhari's account for 12 hours.

That was enough for Trump, though, who used the incident to call for more countries to follow Nigeria's lead and restrict access to Twitter and Facebook, both of which he currently has no access to, "for not allowing free and open speech." He pondered whether "I should have done it while I was president," but suggested he never did because Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg frequently complimented him while he was in office and then finished the statement with a maybe-not-so cryptic "2024?" Read the full statement below.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up